


Telepath for Hire

by Severina



Category: True Blood
Genre: Community: getyourwordsout, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-10 15:37:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8922772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Severina/pseuds/Severina
Summary: Sookie is compelled to help when Portia turns to her for advice in dealing with her sudden, irrational fear of Bill Compton.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Because it always bothered me that poor Portia was left hanging. Takes place a few months after Marnie's death in S4. Marnie never possessed Lafayette; Sookie made the smart choice and chose Eric. You know, how it _should've_ been. Written for LJ's getyourwordsout bingo for the photo prompt below.
> 
>   
> [ ](http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Severina2001/media/gywo%20bingo/01%20street_zpsrelnqaz6.jpg.html)  
> 
> 
> * * *

Sookie was serving Bill his second Tru Blood of the night. Not that she particularly enjoyed serving him in any capacity – in fact, she'd much rather dump the synthetic blood over his head than place the bottle carefully on a napkin – but he always made it a point to sit at one of her tables when he came to Merlotte's. And since she needed this job despite what Eric might think she just had to grin and bear it. 

"Can I get you anything else?" she asked politely. Nobody could ever fault her manners, even if she was talking to a lying snake in the grass.

"This is fine," Bill answered. She moved to pivot smartly away from his table, but his hand zipped out and he wrapped his fingers around her wrist before she could do more than start to rise onto the balls of her feet. "Sookie… are you well?"

She glanced down at his hand and raised one eyebrow. His patented 'concerned' face morphed into a weak smile, but he released her. She opened her mouth intending to give him a piece of her mind, but she didn't need to remind him that she wasn't his to touch. He knew that. He also knew well and good that she was Eric's as much as Eric was hers, and had been since the night she'd found Eric on the side of the road. It didn't matter how much or how often Bill gave her those puppy dog eyes. Whatever she had with Bill – she refused to call it love, now that she knew what love truly felt like – was on life support from the moment he'd almost drained her, and sputtered and died altogether when she discovered his long litany of deceit and betrayal. 

"I'm just fine," she bit out.

"Good," Bill said, nodding his head. "I've just been concerned because you look—"

She never got to find out how he thought she looked, because that was when Portia Bellefleur started to scream.

Sookie whirled around, her tray already coming up into a defensive posture against her chest. Her fingers were tingling and she was ready for anything – rampaging vampires, rogue werepanthers, faeries sneaking up behind her to snatch her away to some weird glowy-fruit-land. But Portia's gaze was fixated on Bill Compton, her eyes wide with horror until she backed up and fled out into the Merlotte's parking lot.

Sookie only realized she'd risen up onto the tips of her toes when she let her body relax. 

"Well, that was… strange," Bill said, his pale fingers fiddling with the stem of his glass.

"Huh," Sookie said. She narrowed her eyes, studying the way he fiddled with the bottle before pouring the blood into the goblet, the way he wouldn't meet her eyes. She'd been too infatuated – and too influenced by the massive amounts of his blood he'd shoved into her gullet – to notice them before, but Bill had a whole series of 'tells' that gave him away when he was hiding something. And he was definitely hiding something now.

Her phone went off before she could even begin to question him, and she turned away as she dug it out of the pocket of her shorts. She didn't have to look at the call display to know who it was. "I'm fine," she said.

"Your fear was gone almost before it appeared," Eric answered, "but I always find that with you it is best to check in. You are, after all, a trouble magnet."

She could hear the fondness in his voice, and smiled into the receiver. "Hey, I was mindin' my own business waiting tables. This had nothing to do with me," she said.

"Hmmm." Eric's reply was non-committal. 

"It didn't!" Sookie protested with a laugh. She sobered, though, when she remembered the look of terror on Portia's face… and Bill's awkward fidgeting. Vampires just didn't twitch like that. She lowered her voice and walked into the corridor leading to the bathrooms for a little bit of privacy. "But I do think we need to talk."

"That sounds ominous," Eric answered.

"No, just…" she said. She shrugged, replaying the moment again in her mind. "It might be nothing, but I'm pretty sure it's something." 

Eric laughed. "Well, with that very clear description in mind I will drop everything to attend to you."

"I hope you know that I'm sticking my tongue out at you."

"Your maturity is one of the things I love best about you, my Sookie," Eric answered. "I will pick you up at the bar in less than an hour."

"No, it's easier for me to come to you. Your place in about two hours? As long as you don't mind me coming straight there from work and smelling like Lafayette's burgers."

"My burgers is the best thing about this grease pit!" Lafayette announced loudly as he strode by on the way from his break. Sookie covered the phone with her other hand and waved him off with a grin, until Eric spoke and wiped the smile right off her face.

"I will await you in the bath," he said.

The phone went dead in her ear. Well, he certainly did know how to inspire a woman to hurry through her end of shift prep work. Sookie tucked the phone back into her pocket, her thoughts now less on Portia's weird behaviour and more on a tall, blond, wet and very willing Viking. 

By the time she returned to the bar, Bill was gone. 

Her departure for Shreveport and the arms of her ravenous vampire was delayed, however, when she left the bar and found Portia Bellefleur hovering at the edge of the parking lot. For the moment Portia didn't see her, and Sookie had a brief and guilt-inducing bout with her conscience. She _could_ just sneak back inside and leave by the employee exit; she could be in her car and flying through the lot before Portia even noticed she was there. After all, she didn't know for sure that Portia was waiting for her. It was entirely possible that she was meeting Andy.

Right. And maybe old Caroline Bellefleur was going to dance the jig at the next Corncob Festival.

"Sookie!" Portia called out.

Sookie inwardly deflated, but plastered on a smile. "Hey, Portia," she said. She reluctantly walked away from her car, and it was only when she got closer that she saw that Portia was actually ringing her hands. She'd never seen Andy's sister anything less than polished and confident, and the nervous twisting of her fingers unnerved her more than Portia's earlier scream. The Crazy Sookie smile that she knew she was wearing fell away, and she put a hand carefully on Portia's arm. "Everything okay?"

"Yes. No." Portia shook her head. "I don't know!"

"Ohkaaay then," Sookie said. She kept her hand on Portia's trembling arm and led her toward the low bench by the tree. When they sat, she released her and put her own hands primly in her lap. "Do you want me to call Andy?"

Portia's long hair covered her face as she bent her head to study her high heels. "No."

"Is there a friend I could—"

"No," Portia said. She didn't lift her head, speaking still to the dirt ground beneath their feet. "I don't know what's happening to me! It feels like I'm going insane! There's no one… and I thought maybe I could talk to you because… well, because—"

"Because I'm crazy?" Sookie filled in dryly.

"Because you know vampires!" Portia said fiercely. When Portia raised her head Sookie was shocked to see that her eyes were wet with unshed tears, but other than that she looked like the familiar intense and focused Portia Bellefleur that strode through Bon Temps in her Louboutin pumps like she owned the place. She lifted her chin defiantly. "And I think maybe a vampire did something to me."

Sookie bit her lip, reaching out with her other sense. She really _really_ tried not to poke around in people's heads anymore unless she was doing it for a reason, like helping Eric out at Fangtasia or trying to rescue someone from evil witches. She found Portia fretting about her sudden and irrational fear of Bill Compton… and a gaping hole where the memory of how the fear started should be.

Goddamn glamour. Goddamn vampires.

Sookie sat back and rested her head on the tree bark. She closed her eyes. Just _once_ she'd like to look into somebody's head and find nothing but memories of rainbows and puppies.

"Sookie?" 

Sookie opened her eyes. "I think you're right," she said. For what it was worth, Portia took the news well. She just nodded, though her eyes looked wary and fearful. "I think I might be able to help you," Sookie said, "but it's too late to do anything tonight. And I'd like my boyfriend to be there." She took a deep breath, and put her cards on the table. If it made Portia spook away, so be it. "His name's Eric, and he's a vampire."

"And you think he can help, too?" Portia asked cautiously.

"He can't hurt," Sookie said as she levered herself to her feet. At Portia's wince, she realized just how that sounded. Portia had already been hurt by a vampire, and had no idea how or why. Ugh. "I trust him with my life," she said.

Portia hesitated only a moment, then smoothed her palms on her pencil skirt and stood. She reached into her designer bag and drew out a business card, holding it between her fingers. "Can you meet me tomorrow night at my office?" she asked. "I'll be happy to pay a consultation fee for your time."

"That's not necessary!" Sookie blurted out. She was on the books at Fangtasia for the work she did scanning the clientele and sitting in on the meetings with potential business contacts for Eric, but she couldn't imagine getting paid just for helping someone who needed it. She wouldn't even have a clue what to charge! She glanced at the card and tucked it into the pocket of her shorts next to her cell phone. "And I'm sure that'll be fine; I'll be in Shreveport with Eric anyway. How does nine o'clock sound?"

"I'll see you both then."

Sookie waited until Portia made her way carefully over the loose gravel before turning around and heading back to her car. Her cell phone rang just as she was getting behind the wheel, and she dug it out of her pocket with an annoyed grunt.

"The water is getting cold," Eric said before she could even say hello.

Sookie turned the key in the ignition and started the engine. "Are you?"

She could feel Eric's answering grin. "I am always hot for you, my lover. And if you only knew the things I had planned for you tonight…"

"Hold that thought and refill the tub," Sookie said with a shiver. The things that man could do with his voice alone. She thumbed off the phone and tossed it onto the passenger seat, all the better to concentrate on her driving. 

She planned to set land speed records to Shreveport tonight.

* * *

Portia's law firm had offices in one of the newly developed sections of the city, where the old buildings had been given new life by interior renovations and bright coats of paint. The bars and restaurants on the lower levels hosted business lunches during the day and teemed with nightlife when the sun went down. Eric found a parking spot about a block away, and was out of the car and opening her door before she'd even managed to unclasp her seat belt.

She took his hand as they walked down the sidewalk. It wasn't a part of Shreveport that she was particularly familiar with, and truth be told she felt a little discombobulated by all the high-end shops and well-dressed club-goers passing them by on the street. Eric, in his dark jeans and leather jacket, looked like he fit in anywhere… and the glimpses she was getting from the minds of the women – and some of the men – that walked by them gave her only too clear of an indication what they thought of her tall, handsome vampire. Unfortunately the thoughts she was getting about herself weren't nearly as complimentary. She felt short and fat and dowdy, and when a woman passed by in the other direction wearing a dress that cost about as much as her entire wardrobe and gave her a mental sneer to boot, Sookie found herself looking down worriedly at her simple faded jeans, T-shirt, and comfortable canvas shoes.

"Maybe I should have dressed up," she fretted. 

"You are delectable," Eric said, lifting her hand to brush his lips across her knuckles. "There is no reason for you to be decked out in your best finery for a meeting as a _consultant_."

Sookie frowned up at him. "Don't you start that again."

"As your business manager, all requests for your services should come through me," Eric pointed out coolly. 

"Oh please," Sookie said. "So the next time Arlene asks me to take a peek in her new beau's head to make sure he ain't another Rene Lenier I should get her to call you up first and get a quote for my time?"

"If you continue to devalue your services, so will others," Eric said reasonably.

Sookie huffed out a breath as they reached the outer door and Eric released her hand to hold it open for her. She followed him to the stairwell, thinking hard. She had no problem taking _his_ money for sitting in on his business meetings once a week, or for nursing a gin and tonic in one of his booths and pointing out the customers that were there to sell drugs or had snuck in with fake IDs. And she had happily taken the payments from the Sheriffs in Areas Two and Four when they'd contracted her services through Eric as well. Truth be told, she made enough money using her gift-slash-curse for legitimate purposes these days that she probably _didn't_ need her job at Merlotte's anymore, as Eric was so insistent in pointing out. So what made taking payment from Portia Bellefleur so different?

She frowned, pausing on the landing just below the etched glass door that announced the offices of Lancaster, Bellefleur and Associates. 

"She's my…" Sookie hesitated. Portia was not a friend by any stretch of the imagination. She wasn't really even an acquaintance. In fact, Sookie wasn't entirely sure she even _liked_ Andy's sister very much. "She's a member of my community," she settled on. "And whatever happened to her wasn't her fault. She's not trying to sneak something past you or rip anybody off. She's just living her life and some vampire went and messed with her head and that's not her fault. She shouldn't have to pay someone to get her out of that mess!"

"Do humans not hire attorneys like Ms. Bellefleur herself when they've been injured in auto accidents, which are also not their fault?"

"Ugh!" Sookie threw up her hands. 

"A succinct rebuttal," Eric said dryly.

Sookie smirked at him as he opened the door and she stepped out onto the plush carpeting of the hallway. She was _so_ not going to win this argument. But in the end she was going to keep using her telepathy to help people whenever she darned well felt like it no matter what Eric said… and she knew he'd never really try to stop her. His presence here tonight was proof that he'd try to _help_ her, even if he didn't like it very much. So yeah, she could lose all the word battles in the world 'cause she still won the war every darn time.

* * *

"So," Portia said, "how are we going to do this?"

Introductions had been made, refreshments offered – Sookie's glass of water sat untouched at her elbow; Eric had politely refused a Tru Blood – and Portia had taken a seat in one of the client chairs instead of the power position behind her oversized desk. She was dressed much as she'd been the day before, in a blazer and skirt ensemble that showed off her curves while still ensuring that everyone knew she was the woman in charge. It was the type of outfit that Sookie knew she'd never be able to pull off, which was part of the reason she didn't even try. 

Besides, supes tended to underestimate a cute little blonde in a sundress.

"Well," Sookie said, leaning forward and tucking one sneaker-clad foot beneath her knee, "I'd like Eric to glamour you."

Portia's eyes flicked nervously to Eric, lounging against her desk as though he owned it. "Glamour?"

"It's like hypnotism," Sookie reassured her. She felt her lips quirk in a fair approximation of a smile. "But don't worry, he won't make you quack like a duck or recite the Pledge of Allegiance in your underpants or nothin'! It's just a way to help me ease into your mind so I can figure out what happened."

At least, she hoped so. She'd discussed her idea with Eric over dinner before they got in the car, and he'd seemed at least as confident as she had that it would work. Granted, she wasn't all that confident. But she'd never know if she didn't try, and it sure wasn't going to be pleasant around Bon Temps if Portia kept screaming like a banshee every time she saw Bill Compton. 

And Portia's calm acceptance of Eric's presence had at least confirmed her own suspicion that this was related to Bill specifically and not vampires in general. 

"I don't know," Portia said hesitatingly. "If you think it will help, you can try. But I've never been susceptible to those things. A former beau once took me to see Brechin – the famous hypnotist in New Orleans? – and he couldn't put me under." Portia straightened, lifted her chin. "Said my will was too strong." 

Sookie did her best not to make a face at that and nodded toward Eric. 

"Portia," he said.

Portia's eyes lifted to his. And promptly glazed over.

"Will was too strong, my aunt fanny," Sookie snorted. She untucked her leg and winced as she studied Portia's face, suppressing a shiver. Seeing someone under the influence of vampire glamour was just plain unnerving, no matter how many times she witnessed it. 

"How would you like to proceed?" Eric asked.

"Can I ask her questions, too?" Sookie asked. When Eric nodded, she leaned forward. This all had to do with Bill somehow, so she'd start there. "Portia, how do you feel about Bill Compton?"

Portia's eyes went wide. Sookie had read in books of people 'quaking with fear', but she'd never witnessed it in person until now, not even with all the craziness she'd been through over the past few months. Portia's entire body _shook_ , and her lips trembled. "He scares me," she whispered, her voice raw with terror. Her eyes remained fixated on a spot somewhere near Eric's right shoulder, but her hands clenched. "Oh God, is he here?"

"No," Eric said quickly. "You are not frightened of Bill Compton when I am with you."

Portia's lips quivered again, and tears slipped from her wide, blank eyes. "You'll protect me?"

"Of course," Eric said. 

Portia settled immediately back into her chair, her face once again composed despite her wet cheeks. Sookie knew her mouth was wide open when Eric turned to her and quirked an eyebrow. Having him come along and glamour Portia was just about the best idea she'd ever had. She could only imagine what might have happened if she'd tried to go peeking into Portia's head without Eric's influence. Calming hysterical women was not her forte. 

"Jesus Christ, Shepherd of Judea," she breathed. "What the heck did he _do_ to her?"

"If it was something outside the boundaries of vampire norms, I assure you he will be punished." Eric's voice was pure steel. 

Sookie nodded absently, biting her lip while she thought. She'd very deliberately not paid much attention to Bill Compton over the past couple of months. First, she had an amnesiatic Eric living in her house; then she was falling in love; then she and a very not amnesiastic Eric had to navigate their way around a new relationship. And when the effects of the latest infusion of Bill's blood wore off – thanks in part to the sips of Eric's much stronger blood she sometimes took when they were making love – she'd broken past her stoned Compton-influenced stupor and felt just as angry with him as she'd been when she first found out he'd watched her nearly be beaten to death so that he could get his blood into her and take her to his Queen. She was _still_ fuming!

But even with all the changes in her life, she wasn't completely immune to all the gossip that floated around Merlotte's. She knew that Bill and Portia worked together on the opening of some old-age home, and more than that she'd heard Arlene telling Holly that Portia was seen on Bill's arm at some fancy-schmancy Shreveport restaurant. 

She met Eric's eyes before she leaned forward again. "Portia, Bill didn't always frighten you, did he?"

Portia's brow furrowed. "No."

Sookie nodded and took her hand. "I want you to think about the last nice interaction you had with Bill," she instructed, praying to God and all the saints that Portia and Bill's last good time involved window shopping and not something nasty between the sheets.

"Remember, while I am here no one can hurt you," Eric said.

Portia nodded once, and then a bright smile lit her face. "I brought him to meet my grandmother," she said.

Sookie let out a breath. Thank goodness! She doubted there'd even be a kiss in this memory if Caroline Bellefleur was a witness. 

She closed her eyes, her free hand coming up to touch Eric's arm lightly. His calm infused Portia and sunk slowly into her as well as she picked her way through Portia's memories of that night. Bill had been his usual smarmily charming self, defending Andy to his grandmother and charming old Caroline's socks right off. She could feel Portia's pride in him as she relived the moment through Portia's eyes. 

"He sat with the two of you," she said, more for Eric's benefit than Portia's. "And talked about… genealogy?"

"Yes," Portia said. "Grandmother is so proud of our lineage. She brought out our old family Bible. The writing is so faded that no one can read it anymore, but Bill made it out just fine." 

So _that's_ what that big book was. Sookie opened her eyes and released Portia's hand. "What did you think of Bill right then?" she asked.

Portia sighed. "Oh, I think he's _wonderful_."

Sookie wrinkled her nose. "Ewww," she said to Eric. "Did I ever sound like that?"

"Occasionally," Eric answered. "It was nauseating."

She squeezed his arm in sympathy, then had a terrible thought. "Wait," she said. "Portia, have you ever had Bill's blood?"

Portia cocked her head. "Had? I don't…"

"Have you drunk Bill Compton's blood?" Eric clarified.

Portia blinked once, slowly. "No, I have not."

"At least I had an excuse," Sookie said. "With her… Eric, I think what she's feeling is _real_."

"There's no accounting for taste," Eric said dryly. "And the night is not getting any younger, Sookie."

"Right," Sookie said. She was supposed to be figuring out what was wrong with Portia, not lamenting the woman's extremely bad choice of boyfriend material. Honestly though, you'd think a lawyer would be a better judge of character. She shook her hair back and re-took Portia's hand. "What happened after Bill looked at the Bible?" she asked.

"They… they were talking in riddles. Grandmother and Bill. About my ancestors. And then… and then…" Portia's chest heaved, and the memory – of Caroline abruptly leaving the room, of Bill rising and striding toward the door – fragmented and shattered. The jagged pieces that were left pricked at Portia's mind whenever she tried to focus on them. Sookie dropped Portia's hand hurriedly and raised her shields, pressed the heel of her hand to her own forehead.

"You are safe, Portia," Eric said.

Sookie looked up in time to see Portia's eyes once again glaze over as she relaxed back in the chair, her expression dreamy. Sookie shivered, turned into Eric's arms and buried her face in his chest when he crouched down next to her. "She knows something's wrong," she said, her voice muffled against Eric's T-shirt, "but when she tries to figure out it, it's like… glass shards digging into her brain."

She felt Eric stiffen against her. "The fool can't even manage a simple glamour properly."

She allowed herself a few more seconds in Eric's arms, then forced herself to pull away. The residual pain in her own brain had faded, but they'd remain for Portia unless she figured this out. She didn't have to like the woman to feel a wave of sympathy and frustration. "And after all that," she said wearily, "I don't have a flippin' idea what happened to make her fear him so much."

"I do," Eric said.

Sookie didn't really consider herself the gaping sort – she'd done her fair share of it when she first met Bill and got all caught up in supe business, but now so much had happened to her that it took a lot to get her mouth to drop open in surprise. But now it had happened for the second time in ten minutes, and it took her a couple of moments to slap at Eric's chest. "Well?" she prompted.

"The Comptons and the Bellefleurs are related," he told her. "Through Bill's daughter, Sarah."

"The Comptons and the Bellefleurs?" Sookie repeated. She narrowed her eyes. "Wait a minute. How come you know this and Bill didn't?"

"Unlike Bill Compton, I do my research," Eric said with a touch – okay, a bit more than a _touch_ \-- of pride. "I thoroughly investigate the lineage and history of every vampire that registers to live in my Area. Saves trouble down the line."

Sookie smirked. She knew Eric. "Don't you mean that _Pam_ thoroughly investigates every vampire?"

"Usually," Eric said smoothly, "but in this case I did the work myself. I had reason to ensure that I knew everything I could about Bill Compton. I only wish I had been as comprehensive in researching his work for the Queen."

Sookie squeezed his arm. Bill had filled her head with so many dire warnings about the big bad Eric Northman – and her body with so much of his blood – that she doubted she would have heeded Eric even if he'd had proof of Bill's deceit written by Sophie-Anne herself and notarized by the President. 

"So Bill and Caroline found out that they have a common ancestor…" Sookie started, getting them back on track.

"—and Bill, for reasons known only to him, chose to remove that memory from this woman and replace it with one in which he terrifies her," Eric finished.

"Oh, I know why," Sookie muttered. "Because he's a big fat chicken, that's why!" She stood, gestured toward Portia still and quiescent in the chair, and turned to Eric. "Can you fix it?"

"One glamour cannot undo another," Eric answered. When she glared at him, he sighed. "However, Compton's work is so incompetent that I may be able to… override it, so to speak. I can give her a memory of Bill telling her that he cannot see her anymore due to this link in their genealogy, and make her comfortable with that."

"No," Sookie said. "She oughta feel however she wants to feel."

Eric's eyebrow rose. "Even if what she feels is sorrow?"

"Yes!" Sookie crouched back down so she was next to him. "Lord knows I've cried enough tears over Bill Compton the past few months, and sure, there's been a few times when I've wished that somebody could just come along and wave a magic wand and make all that pain go away. But those bad times only made me appreciate the good ones when they came along. I might not ever have realized how I feel for you if I didn't have all that heartbreak behind me."

Eric shifted so that his brow touched hers. "I see," he said softly.

She wasn't entirely sure he did. Eric liked to be in control, and if he had his way he'd probably wrap her up in bubble wrap so she never got hurt again. The old Sookie might've let him – she shuddered to think of the way she'd cowered into Bill's arms in Dallas just because Eric had tricked her into drinking a little of his blood. The new Sookie fought her own battles and didn't hide behind any man. Ever. 

She stood, wiping her palms on her jeans. "Do it," she told Eric. She left him to it and strode out of the corner office to try and work out some of her anger by pacing the length of the hallway. She only had to close her eyes to see the look of horror on Portia's face at the very thought of Bill Compton. 

They were definitely going to be making a little trip to Bon Temps tonight.

* * *

"Sookie! What a pleasant surprise."

Sookie pushed past the guard the moment Bill's office door opened, ignoring his pleased greeting. She'd been fuming enough during the ride back to Bon Temps, and being kept waiting had done nothing to improve her temper. Bill's decidedly less-than-happy greeting to Eric when he saw that Eric was casually following her into the office did help improve her mood a little, though. Apparently Bill's security team hadn't informed him that she was accompanied by his Sheriff. From the stormy look that Bill shot the secret service type with the headpiece there was going to be hell to pay later tonight.

Bill recovered nicely, painting on his best customer service smile as he rounded his desk. "What brings you two here tonight?" he asked. "No trouble, I hope?"

"Some privacy, Bill?" Sookie snapped. "Unless of course you want your entire SWAT team knowin' your dirty laundry?"

Bill frowned, but flicked a wrist to dismiss the guard. "All right, Sookie," he said when the door was shut behind him. He was still trying to maintain his façade of amiable calm, but the politician's smile didn't reach his eyes. The more time that went by the more Sookie wondered how she'd ever been fooled. He was like a carnival shyster dressed up in a suit and tie. "What do you have to say?"

"Portia Bellefleur," Sookie bit out. "I don't know exactly what you two have goin' on and quite frankly I don't want to know because that part is just not my business. But you got a problem with a woman, Bill? You _talk_ to her! You don't go sneakin' around behind her back!"

Bill stiffened, the smarmy smile dropping off his face. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said. "Ms. Bellefleur and I have a purely working relationship."

"Oh please Bill, cut the crap! You just can't help lyin', can you? We've already fixed whatever it was you did to Portia. Who in the hell gave you the right to mess with her mind like that?"

Bill shot Eric a purely murderous look, but Eric merely returned his gaze placidly. "Your attempt at a glamour was faulty," he said, "and causing the woman great pain. I… repaired the damage. Of course, the compulsion that you placed in her mind has now been rendered null and void."

If looks could kill, Eric would be nothing but a pile of goop on Bill's expensive carpet. 

"Don't you be gettin' mad at Eric for fixin' your damn mistake!" Sookie said. "Now I said I don't wanna know what you and Portia were gettin' up to and I meant it. But I been inside her head, Bill. The things she feels for you? They're real. And if the two of you got a problem, you don't get to wipe it all away and pretend it never happened! You deal with it like a grown-up. I know that might be difficult for you since you've only been one for a hundred and sixty years."

Bill slumped against the desk, the fire going out of him unexpectedly. "We can never be," he said. "She is my great great great—"

"Yeah yeah, common ancestor, we got that," Sookie interrupted impatiently. "Meanwhile Jan Fowler's married to her second cousin and _you_ sent her a fruit basket for the wedding!" 

"It's different," Bill gritted out.

"Whatever," Sookie said. "I just know that if I suddenly found out that my great-however-many-times-removed grandmother had a fling with a Swedish boy who turned out to be from Eric's line, I wouldn't let that change a damn thing about how I feel." 

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Eric straighten from where he'd lounged against the wall, and she smiled at him. The smile she got back made her heart beat a little faster. Yeah, there was nothing that could change the way she felt about Eric Northman.

"If you let this stupid ancestry thing ruin something that could be real good, then you're a bigger fool than I thought," she said wearily. She'd said her piece; she'd done what she could to help Portia, and she'd already spent too much time this evening on Bill Compton. Suddenly all she wanted was to go home. There was a big warm bed and a tall cool Viking in her future, and she didn't want to waste another minute. "C'mon, Eric. Let's go."

Eric pushed away from the wall, inclining his head sardonically toward Bill. "Your Highness," he said.

"Do you enjoy being so whipped?" Bill asked bitterly.

Eric merely laughed. "Yes," he said.

Sookie shook her head. Men.

They were halfway through the foyer when Portia Bellefleur stormed in through the front door with fire in her eyes. "Hey, Portia," Sookie said.

"Sookie," Portia clipped out brusquely before brushing past her and heading for the office. Sookie glanced over her shoulder in time to see Bill backing up with his hands outstretched before him and Portia herding him toward the desk. 

She grinned all the way to the car, and then curiosity got the better of her. "What's she doing?"

Eric cocked his head, listening. "She's reciting facts and figures about genetics and the lawfulness of consanguineous marriage."

"Marriage, huh?" Sookie mused. "Go, Portia!"

* * *

It was mid-afternoon by the time Sookie made her way to the mailbox at the end of the long driveway the next day. Eric had kept her up and active -- _very_ active – until the first rays of dawn were peeking through the window, and even with a couple of sips of his blood she was still feeling sore in that pleasant, well-loved way when she finally slipped away from his side in the cubby where they'd retreated at the sign of the light.

It had been a few days since she'd bothered to gather the mail, so she stood at the end of the drive and shuffled through it. Electricity bill. Flyer from Dave's Wholesale Foods. Some kind of mass mail-out from the Mayor's office. And a simple white envelope with only her name written on it, and no stamp.

Curious, she couldn't wait to get back to the house. She ripped the end of the envelope and tipped the contents into her palm. And bit her lip when she saw what she held in her hand.

A personal cheque drawn on Portia Bellefleur's business account in the amount of one thousand dollars. In the memo line she had written 'one hour consultation fee'. 

She knew she shouldn't have left Eric alone with Portia in that danged office.


End file.
